England, December 3, 2009 (Day 18)

Today we went to Newlands Farms to get the meat for tonight's roast dinner but, while we were there, we also bought a few delicious sweets and nibbles to tide us over until dinner. I'm looking very forward to Tina's traditional English roast dinner with roast, roasted potatoes, gravy, yorkshire pudding and peas.

Joe and Tina needed to run into the optician to get their glasses fixed (Joe) and fitted (Tina). In the meanwhile, Lillia and I stayed in the car and "chatted." Here are some of the many faces of Lillia:

England, December 2, 2009 (Day 17)

For lunch today, Tina, Lillia, Joe and I went to Oliver's, which is our favorite place for fish and chips. The cod is so delicate and tender that it nearly melts in your mouth.

Lillia making funny faces at lunch. And, we didn't even give her any vinegar for her chips!

Mushy peas! They don't sound like they would taste good and

they don't look like they would taste good but, oh, they do!

Fish and chips

Battered sausage

This afternoon we went over to Delia's house to give her birthday cards and wish her a Happy Brithday. Afterwards, we went to the Odiham Extravaganza which takes place every year in the town near Nick and Tina's house. This is our second time going to the Extravaganza. The first time the weather was great but the fair was a bit disappointing. Tonight, the fair was much better but the weather was terrible. It rained (and, at times, even poured) but Tina, Joe and I had a good time overall. We saw Tori walking around with friends and she was drenched!

Now, mind you, I have never actually looked for lard in the grocery store but I have never seen it. There is a little local coop on the High Street that is a small grocery store. We saw lard there and, for some reason, I wanted to take a picture of it!

England, December 1, 2009 (Day 16)

This morning Tina took us to the train station and we went to Oxford for the day. When we got to Oxford, we took a double decker sightseeing tour which was really great because we got to see an overview of the city and decide what we wanted to go back and see later in the day. We sat on top so we could get the best views but the seats had been icy from the night before and were still wet. Neither Joe nor I could feel parts of our bodies by the time we got off the bus! We shopped a bit including along High Street and we wandered around a bit. We stopped on the High Street at University College which is where I went to a summer abroad program in 1987. The city has changed so much that I really didn't recognized much. Apparently, including the entrance to University College! We saw it from the bus but, when we went back so that I could take a picture in front of the wood entrance, we stopped at the wrong college! I'm so disappointed but there is nothing I can do about it now! Oh well! I talked to a shopkeeper about how different the city seemed to me and she said almost nothing of what is there now was there when I was in school there. I felt better that I hadn't remembered more landmarks. What used to be the old Barclay Bank next to University College is now a hotel and restaurant so we stopped in the restaurant, Quod, and had a nice lunch of pizzas and diet coke. After lunch, we walked around until it was time for us to catch the train home. It was a very fun day in Oxford! I have such fond memories of that summer and I enjoyed reminiscing today.

After we got back from Oxford, we had a bit of nibbles at home and then went to the local pub, The Bell, with Nick and the Williams family (Clive and Sharon along with their 2 children, Megan and Ross). Tina was going to go with Lillia but Lillia did not have a proper nap so Tina decided that they should stay home.

England, November 30, 2009 (Day 15)

Tina and I went to lunch with Sharon at the Waterwitch in Odiham. The place is lovely and the company was great but the food was awful. We had been there before and it was quite good but not so much this time. Afterwards, we went shopping at Katherine Jane's on the High Street. The rest of the day was quiet and we stayed around the house.

Here are a few random pictures of Lillia in all her cuteness!

Joe and Lillia on the computer

Joe and I have been teaching Lillia to wink. Here she is trying so hard to wink like Unc Joe!

I was sitting on the couch working on some PoshPosh stories and, unsolicited,

Lillia climbed up on the couch and curled up next to me to give me cuddles. So cute!